A Japanese journalist died from overwork at work, and this is not uncommon in Japan
A Japanese journalist died of overwork after working 159 hours over the norm in a month. This case may help the government, which is looking for ways to ban recycling.
31-year-old NHK journalist Zhiva Sado died in July 2013. She covered the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly elections and The Chamber of Councillors. This month she worked 159 hours over the norm and had only two days off.
A month before her death, Sado sent her father an email: "I'm constantly busy and very nervous, I think about quitting at least once a day, but I probably need to hold on." The girl was found dead on July 24, 2013. She was lying on the bed, holding a mobile phone in her hands.
Public broadcaster NHK has released the results of the investigation into the causes of death just now. Representatives of the TV company claim that such a delay is due to respect for the journalist's family.
"Even today, four years later, we cannot believe in the death of our daughter," Sado's parents said. They hope that this will not happen again. Masahiko Yamauchi of NHK's news department said there was "a problem for the organization as a whole, including the labor system and how elections are covered."
Death from overwork is so common in Japan that there is even a word for it — "karoshi" (karoshi).
The Japanese authorities distinguish two types of karoshi: death from cardiovascular diseases associated with overwork, and suicide due to work-related stress. In 2015, more than two thousand suicides were registered, and every fifth employee is at risk because he processes 80 or more hours a month.
Keywords: Journalist | Work | Death | Japan